


Creativi(tree)

by bioloyg



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: ALL CAPS, Conspiracy, Fluff, Holidays, Light Angst, Love, M/M, M/M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sam sandwich basically, Sneaking Around, dude I still don't know how to tag this I've been looking at it for 20 min, his two white boys love him very much, of the cute variety, samsteve/sambucky kinda OT3 I guess?, secret santa fic exchange, still of the cute variety, uhhhhhh how do i tag this fuck...., very very light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 21:40:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8863123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bioloyg/pseuds/bioloyg
Summary: "The whole operation starts a little something like this: Steve and Bucky go to Natasha for help. Who better to ask about sneaking around than another spy? She happily agrees to help them figure out the logistics of their plan, and she also agrees to helping distract Sam for an additional day. Then, Steve calls in a favor from Tony. Well, it’s more like cashing in a favor. Tony owes him a big one anyway. It’s a long shot, but it works, and Steve comes out of the exchange feeling light and ready to go.By the end of all their planning it’s December 5th, which is just enough time for them to set everything in motion without too much of the holiday season passing them by."~Sam LOVES Christmas, but there’s not enough room in their apartment for a tree. Cue Steve and Bucky getting creative.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [iwillnotbecaged](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwillnotbecaged/gifts).



> WOW, okay so this is for a Marvel Secret Santa fic exchange and I got the lovely [@i-will-not-be-caged!](http://i-will-not-be-caged.tumblr.com)  
> I was super super nervous about writing OT3 because I've never done it before, SO I really hope I did it justice. In a comical twist of events, we got each other for the exchange so I'm SOOOOOO fucking excited to go read some fic about Sam with wings. I am HERE FOR IT.
> 
> Anyway, you're amazing @rachelheather so I hope this is everything you hoped it would be.

It all starts when the three of them move into an apartment together. Two of them in any given space at the same time was already pushing it – but three? It’s madness. That being said, none of them would trade it for the world. They all love each other, and they’re willing to make do with the space they’ve been allotted regardless of how small it can seem at times.

Still, Bucky and Steve see the way Sam looks when they visit a friend’s house during the holidays. That wistful twinkle in his eye. Until recently, neither Steve nor Bucky could quite place it. It wasn’t _sad_ , but it wasn’t happy either. It was more nostalgic than anything, as if there were some memory from a lifetime ago being dredged up. Sam isn’t exactly upset, they know that much, but there’s something missing that he’s not bringing up, something he wants that he’s too kind to ask for.

Bucky decides to put an end to the guessing game and corners him at one of Tony’s house parties when he catches Sam staring at the overly large Christmas tree. He stands beside Sam and knocks their shoulders together ever so slightly, grabbing his attention.

“What are you doing over here all by yourself?” Bucky asks.

Sam takes a deep breath and looks away from the tree, though it looks like it takes a substantial amount of effort. He flashes Bucky a small smile and says, “Just admiring Tony’s inability to be modest.”

Bucky presses a hand to his chest. “Tony? Immodest? I would have never guessed.”

Sam laughs and links his arm with Bucky’s. “Sometimes I just wish we had more space, y’know?”

A sigh falls between them. They’ve had this conversation before, many times. It’s not an argument per se, but it’s no fun either. “Is that why you look so sad whenever we come here during the holidays?”

Sam scrunches his eyebrows. “Huh? No, I’m not – I’m not _sad_.”

“Then what’s that look?”

“What look?” Sam asks as he looks at Bucky.

Bucky leans in and kisses his cheek. “You know which one I’m talking about. It’s the same one Steve is always trying to wipe off your face.”

Sam frowns and looks back at the tree. His grip on Bucky’s arm tightens ever so slightly. “It’s –” he sighs and rests his head on Bucky’s shoulder. “My parents used to go all out for the holidays. It was kind of our thing. Winter is that time of year when everything seems magical, and for a minute you can forget there’s a bunch of bad shit waiting at your door step.”

He looks up at Bucky. “I just miss it sometimes. The big tree, the decorations. I love our apartment and all, but there isn’t exactly space for a tree.”

Bucky sucks in a sharp breath. That’s a bit of an understatement. There’s next to _no_ room for a tree in their apartment. Between the furniture, the square footage, and their bodies – decorations fall to the wayside more often than not. They have enough stuff in storage as it is.

“Well, maybe we can come up with a new tradition,” Bucky says, trying to cheer Sam up. He knows how much Sam’s mother and father meant to him – how much he misses them. Sam probably feels like the one way he can keep hold of the good memories with them is the one way he’s physically incapable of bringing about right now.

Sam lets out an amused huff. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. I’m not the creative one in this group. Ask Steve.”

Sam shakes his head and smiles. “Where _is_ our Steve?”

Bucky hums and looks past the tree toward the bar. “Looks like he’s talking to Sharon.”

“Probably conspiring with her on what kind of presents to get Nat,” Sam says thoughtfully.

“You think her and Sharon will finally get together this year?”

“My money’s on New Year’s. Natasha can get a little talkative when she’s drunk.”

Bucky hums, disagreeing. “I don’t know. The holidays are the perfect time. Between the mistletoe and Tony’s spiked eggnog – they could get together a lot sooner than you’d think.”

“Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is,” Sam says, taking his arm back. “I bet it doesn’t happen until after Christmas.”

Bucky crosses his arms and tries to fight the smile that breaks across his face. “Alright, fine. I bet it happens before or _on_ Christmas.”

“How much?”

“Why’s it have to be money? Maybe I want something else.”

Sam drags his teeth across his bottom lip. “Like what?”

Bucky takes a sip of the champagne he was holding (read: he downs the rest of it), and then he says, “I want you and Steve to let me try that thing.”

“What thi –?” Sam pauses and his cheeks turn the faintest shade of pink. “Oh. _That_.”

“Uh huh. That.”

Sam takes a deep breath and says, “Okay. **_But_** _,_ if I win you have to go with me and Steve to that place downtown. You always try to weasel your way out of it.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Because there’s too many _people_.”

“Not when we go.”

“Fine.”

Sam smiles. “So we have a deal?”

Bucky shrugs. “Sure, why not.”

“Shake on it. The last time I let you get away without shaking on it I ended up with a very large ‘corgi’ in our apartment.” The air quotes pack as much attitude as the look on Sam’s face.

“It’s not my fault it ended up being a German Shepherd. Blame the breeder.”

“Steve said you didn’t even go to a breeder.”

Bucky looks up, like he’s thinking. “Breeder, pound, same difference.”

Sam starts walking towards Steve. “Uh huh, _sure_.”

With a smile, Bucky follows.

~

One day, after Sam leaves to go to the gym, Bucky pulls Steve aside. “You know that look Sam always gets on his face whenever Christmas rolls around?”

“The one that makes him look miserable even though he insists he’s not?” Steve asks.

“Yeah, that one.”

“What about it?” Steve asks as he heads to the kitchen.

Bucky follows and says, “Last Friday, at Tony’s pre-Christmas Christmas party, I found out why he makes it.”

Steve pauses, the fridge door open in his hand. “Why?”

“He’s sad we don’t have enough space.”

“Is this about the house we were trying to buy?”

Bucky pulls his lips to one side and leans on the doorframe. “No. Not exactly, anyway. He just misses being able to decorate the way he and his family used to when he was younger. There’s not exactly a whole lot of room here. We can’t even get a tree in here half the time.”

After Steve pours himself something to drink he leans against the counter and says, “So what are we gonna do about it?”

“Get creative.”

Steve smirks. “ _How_ creative?”

With a shrug Bucky says, “Depends on how much we can do without Sam finding out.”

“That’ll be pretty hard,” Steve says with a sigh.

Nodding, Bucky says, “Yeah, but I have a plan.”

“Which is –”

“It involves tricking him into think we’re making secret plans about each other. You take him out on a ‘date’ and buy Christmas presents for me, and then I’ll do the same when it’s my turn.”

Steve thinks about it for a moment, then nods. “Okay, but that only buys us two days. Where are we gonna hide everything?”

“My room. None of us really go in there anymore. The closet is big enough to put stuff in.”

“That still doesn’t solve our space problem.”

Bucky takes a deep breath. “That’s the second part of the plan…”

~

The whole operation starts a little something like this: Steve and Bucky go to Natasha for help. Who better to ask about sneaking around than another spy? She happily agrees to help them figure out the logistics of their plan, and she _also_ agrees to helping distract Sam for an additional day. Then, Steve calls in a favor from Tony. Well, it’s more like _cashing in_ a favor. Tony owes him a big one anyway. It’s a long shot, but it works, and Steve comes out of the exchange feeling light and ready to go.

By the end of all their planning it’s December 5th, which is just enough time for them to set everything in motion without too much of the holiday season passing them by. Sam is none the wiser – so far – and Steve and Bucky have established what their “dates” are going to be ahead of time and how long they should be out.

First up is Steve.

He already called Clint, Scott, and Rhodey to help Bucky with all the moving. All he has to do is convince Sam to go on a date with him – which shouldn’t be hard.

“Hey, Sam?” Steve says as he finds his way to their dining/kitchen area. When he finds the man in question, he slides up behind Sam and wraps his arms around Sam’s waist. “There you are.”

Sam hums and leans back against him. “Hey, stranger.” When Sam turns around to fit himself against Steve, Steve kisses him, sweet and slow. Sam lets out a muffled hum of approval and smiles when they break apart. “Seems like you’re in a good mood today.”

Steve kisses Sam once more, right on the top of his cheekbone. “I am – I have plans.”

“Plans?” Sam says, leaning back. His voice drops an octave and comes out sounding smooth and sultry. “What kind of plans?”

Steve laughs. “Oh no, we’re not doing this again.”

“What?” Sam asks, playing coy.

“We’re barred from having sex in the kitchen. Bucky still hasn’t forgiven us for what happened last time.” Sam rolls his eyes but Steve keeps going. “Besides, I wanted to ask you out on a date.”

A bright and genuine smile breaks across Sam’s face. “A date, huh? After all these years…”

Steve joins their lips one more time and says, “You’re not getting tired of me, are you Wilson?”

“Never.”

“Good,” Steve says. “Because I need your help with something while we’re out.”

Sam’s eyebrows fall. “With what?”

Steve lets go of Sam and looks out of the kitchen dramatically – for show of course. “While we’re out I think we should get our gifts for Bucky. It’s early enough in the month that he won’t be suspicious like last time.”

Sam takes a deep breath. “Good point.” He looks around Steve like he’s worried Bucky could show up any second – which isn’t really a problem since he and Clint are getting a moving truck right now. “Where would we hide the presents though?”

“Nat’s house. He knows better than to snoop around her place. Plus, she’s right by the place I’m taking you.”

“And just where _are_ you taking me?”

A sly grin creeps across Steve’s face. “You’ll find out sooner or later.”

~

Bucky gets the “ _All clear_ ” text about an hour and a half after he leaves. Sam and Steve are on their way to some ice skating rink and Bucky’s got about…. Mmm, five hours max to get this done. Considering all the shit that’s in his bedroom right now, they might be cutting it close with traffic and everything else.

Bucky hops out of the moving truck and looks up at the window to their apartment. He’s starting to regret living on the fifth floor right now. Moving out is just as much of a chore as moving in. With a sigh he turns and looks at Scott, Clint, and Rhodey. He addresses Rhodey first. “Did Tony give you the holoprojector?”

Rhodey pulls it out of his jacket pocket and shows it off. “Yep. As long as Sam doesn’t get too close to the thing everything should look real.”

“Great,” Bucky says, letting out a sigh of relief. He turns to Clint. “You and Nat good to go for Wednesday?”

“Of course.”

“Scott, what about Luis?”

Scott looks up from his phone. “What about him?”

Bucky makes a face and says, “Is he still good to help us move shit on Wednesday?”

“Yeah. He said he’d bring a few friends.”

Bucky hesitates – a few friends to him is very different from a few friends to Luis. He bats the thought away – the more the merrier, and the quicker they’ll get everything set up. He takes one final deep breath and says, “Alright, then. Let’s get started.”

~

Steve underestimated his ability to multitask when he agreed to take Sam ice skating. He’s never thought of himself as particularly graceful, neither before the serum nor after, but he always figured the serum would at least give him a leg up in situations like this. No such luck, though.

Sam laughs as he helps pick Steve up for the third time. “You look like a fawn.”

“I feel like a rock.”

“You got that right,” Sam huffs as he pulls until Steve can stand again.

Steve brushes the ice off of his butt and says, “Why’d I let you talk me into this again?”

“Because you love me.”

Steve smiles. “I do.”

“And because you wanted an excuse for me to get up behind you and ‘teach you how to skate.’” Sam says with a suggestive look.

Steve’s glad it’s cold enough out that his face and nose are pink because if it weren’t for that he’d make a fool of himself blushing. “We can’t all be perfect figure skaters like you.”

Sam shrugs and threads their gloved fingers together. “Balance is my thing.”

Steve squeezes Sam’s hand ever so slightly and pulls Sam close. “You gonna keep me balanced?”

After a quick kiss Sam says, “Always.”

~

This is a little bit of a nightmare, which is pretty on par as far as moving furniture is concerned. Scott has already managed to break something, and Clint is a smartass – which Bucky already knew, but the reminder wasn’t needed today. Luckily for him, they have most of what might as well be the spare bedroom cleared out.

He’s halfway down the main staircase with a bedside table hooked over his shoulder by the empty drawer slot when he gets a text:

_SR: We’re almost done shopping. How’s it looking on your end?_

**_BB: Everything is all set. I don’t think I’ll be able to make it back before you guys do, though._ **

_SR: That’s fine. Sam’s hungry anyway, I’ll stall._

**_BB: Text me when you’re headed back. I’ll let you know when I get home._ **

Bucky shoves his phone into his jacket pocket and trots the rest of the way down the stairs. His nerves are alive with anticipation. He has to admit, he’s kind of excited to see if this will work. Sam is one of the hardest people to surprise, but not because he can catch onto the surprise. It’s wholly because of his ability to read people. Between Steve being an open book and Bucky’s tendency get excited about gift giving – it usually falls through and Sam figures it out. Which is, if you ask a former assassin, kind of embarrassing on his part. You’d think Bucky would be better at hiding things.

This time though – _this time_ Bucky is determined. He has contingency plans, excuses, and distractions ready. There is no way he’s going to let Sam figure this one out – and even if, by some miracle, Sam _does_ figure it out, there’s no way he’ll see the last bit coming.

Hell, _Bucky_ wasn’t even sure about the last part, but now that it worked, now that everything is falling into place? Bucky could not be more thrilled. All he wants to see is the look on Sam’s face when all of it comes together: that wide eyed look of awe, the way his features go soft and his smile burns brightly. Bucky just wants to make Sam smile, that’s it, and he and Steve are going to go big this Christmas.

~

“Do you want to go out with me?” Bucky asks the next day. Steve is out picking a tree with Sharon, a _real_ tree, so it’s just the two of them relaxing on the couch.

Sam pulls his head up from where he was resting it on Bucky’s shoulder. “You asking me on a date, or do you want me to go run errands with you?”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “A _date_ , Sam. I can run errands by myself like a big boy.”

“Too bad you can’t go ice skating like a big boy.”

“There’s a reason you have me _and_ Steve. What he doesn’t do, I will, and vice versa.”

Sam smirks. “You’re not wrong.”

Bucky stifles a laugh and says, “So, Samuel Thomas Wilson, will you go on a date with me?”

“I’d love to.” Sam pauses halfway through a smile. “Unless this is some trick to try and get me to catch a pigeon again.”

Bucky stands up and holds out a hand to lift Sam up. “Definitely not.” He pulls Sam up and into a quick kiss. “I have something special in mind.”

As Sam gets bundled up, Bucky texts Steve their estimated departure time and their general plans for the day. The last thing he needs is for them to run into Steve. Sharon is pretty good at skirting around the edges of things though, so Bucky has faith in them. Well, one of them. He wouldn’t put it past Steve to accidentally bring up the fact that he went tree shopping. Like Bucky said, _open book_.

Despite his concerns, Bucky almost forgets all about their secret little plan while he and Sam are out. He likes spending time with Sam like this, just the two of them joking, hanging out like the best friends they were before they got together. It’s nice. Plus, the planetarium is always a fun place to be, no matter who you’re with. Having it be Sam just makes it all the better.

“You took me out to go stargazing huh?”

Bucky takes off his gloves, stuffs them in his pocket, and then takes Sam’s hand. “Yeah, like our first date.”

Sam’s smile softens and his eyes crinkle at the corners. “If only everyone knew what a big softy you are.”

“M’only a softy for you, babe. They don’t need to know.”

Sam chuckles and leans against Bucky as they walk throughout the room filled with stars. It’s the middle of the week, so no one else is there, and it’s midday.  It truly is just the two of them and the stars, even if these are only a holographic facsimile of the real giants above their heads.

Bucky looks down at Sam for a moment and shrugs his shoulder to catch his attention. “Got a little quiet there. What are you thinking about?”

Sam takes a deep breath and then lets it out slowly. “How lucky I am.”

Bucky lets out an amused huff. “How lucky you are?”

“Yeah,” Sam says as he props his chin on Bucky’s shoulder. “I’ve got you and Steve.”

That’s as much as Bucky can take right now, so he turns to face Sam and gathers his face in his hands just before kissing him, unhurried and ever present. When they break apart he says, “I think me and Steve are the lucky ones.”

“We all are.” Sam squeezes his arm and rests his head on Bucky’s shoulder.

It takes a little bit of juggling to text Steve and keep Sam none the wiser, but Bucky manages. There are a couple of times he has to make up an excuse, he says he’s taking pictures. And – that’s not completely false. Bucky has about ten pictures of Sam from this morning alone. Granted, that was because he was drooling and Bucky wanted to prove a point, but still.

The last text Bucky reads, just before giving Sam a piggy back ride as they walk through the park, says: _Christmas tree is a go. All pine needles have been vacuumed up and I lit one of the ridiculous candles that Pepper gave us._

All in all, Bucky has to say that it’s going pretty well. Especially when Sam heads to the compound to take a look at some “paperwork,” the next day. There’s a lot of conspiring going on, and Bucky would just like to thank Director (and Savior) Nick Fury for helping out. Bucky briefly considers sending him a card that says, “Thanks Saint Nick.”

He thinks better of it when he remembers the time Fury beat him in an arm wrestling competition. When Bucky used his _left_ arm.

Bucky takes a deep breath and shakes that thought off before calling Steve. “Hey, are you and Sharon on the way?”

“ _Yeah, Scott’s with us and he said Luis will be by in an hour_.”

Bucky wedges the phone in between his shoulder and his ear and says, “And Natasha?”

Steve’s line cuts out for a moment and then he says, a bit louder than before, “ _Nat said she and Sam are still on for drinks later tonight when Fury lets Sam go, and that Clint is on standby if we need to stall anymore._ ”

A pleased smile crosses Bucky’s face as he bends down and picks up the holoprojector in his room. “Alright. See you in five.” He slips his phone into his pocket and flips the switch on the gadget in his hands, turning off the false bedroom spread. All that’s left after the fact is a bare room with wood floors and blank walls ready to be decorated.

~

The next morning, when all is said and done, when Bucky has enough papercuts to rival that of a librarian, when his former room is covered in decorations from head to toe – he stands in front of the Christmas tree with the last piece of their plan in hand. It’s in a box that fits in the palm of his hand, wrapped in colorful paper that shines whenever the light hits it just right. It’s the kind of gift that makes Bucky’s heart flutter with anticipation, and Steve’s too, he knows that much.

Bucky has never been big on sentimentality, and there was a time when the future was something he actively tried to avoid thinking about, but right now? Right now, Bucky wants nothing more than to start a future for himself and Steve with Sam, and this box is what’s going to do it.

The door behind Bucky opens and he jumps a bit, hiding the box, but when he sees that it’s just Steve he relaxes. Steve gives him a small smile and then comes to stand beside him. They both look at the decorated tree, wrapped from top to trunk in carefully woven ribbons and adorned with ornaments of all shapes and sizes.

“What do you think he’ll say?” Steve asks. He sounds hesitant, like after all this – after all they’ve been through together – Sam won’t be completely floored. Even if Sam hated the decorations he’d still love the thought put into it.

Bucky looks at Steve and says, “I don’t think he’ll be able to pick something to comment on. There’s a lot to look at.”

“And the gift?” Steve nods at the sliver of golden wrapping paper that’s still visible in Bucky’s grasp.

Bucky opens up his hand and looks at it once more. “I don’t know,” he says with a sigh. He looks back up at Steve and gives him a lopsided grin. “I guess we’ll find out after breakfast huh?”

Steve nods. “Guess so.”

“Did you grab the blueberry pancakes from that place he likes?”

Steve nods and backtracks out of the room, toward the kitchen. “Yeah. I picked up those sausage wraps you like, too.”

Bucky rolls his eyes. “Please just say kolaches.”

“You knew what I was talking about without me saying it,” Steve says, casting Bucky a smug look.

“Whatever, go get Sam so we can do this. I feel like I’m gonna vibrate out of my skin.”

“Nervous?”

“Excited.”

Breakfast can only be described as the world’s most torturous round of the quiet game. Steve’s eyes are so bright that he looks like he’s up to something, and Bucky knows he’s being too quiet to look innocent. There’s a reason they got the good pancakes though, and that was solely because they knew Sam would be too wrapped up in blueberry pancake heaven to notice anything was amiss. Or so they hoped.

Halfway through the second pancake Sam says, “What’s with the special breakfast?”

Bucky and Steve make eye contact ever so briefly, then Bucky shrugs. “No reason.”

“Neither of us felt like cooking,” Steve says.

Sam narrows his eyes. “You sure? Because the only reason you guys get me blueberry pancakes from Rita’s is because you did something wrong.”

Bucky scoffs. “That’s not true. We get them when you’re having a bad day, too.”

“ _And_ when it’s a special occasion,” Steve adds with a suspicious lilt to his voice. He doesn’t quite make eye contact with Sam either, just dutifully focuses on his breakfast.

Sam puts his fork down, leans back, and crosses his arms. “If you didn’t do anything wrong, and I’m not sad…. What’s the special occasion?”

A sharp grin spreads across Bucky’s face. “You’ll find out sooner or later.”

Sam lets out a put upon sigh and then freezes. He looks back at Bucky abruptly. “Is this about our bet?”

“What bet?” Steve asks, sounding both confused and a tad judgmental.

Bucky shakes his head at Steve, signaling that now is _not_ the time, and then says, “No, it’s not about the bet. You haven’t lost. _Yet_.”

Sam smirks. “And I won’t.”

“This isn’t gonna turn out like it did the last time, is it?” Steve asks, his voice near a groan.

“No,” Sam and Bucky say together. They flash each other a look after the fact and then go back to eating their breakfast.

Once finished, and before Sam can try to clear the table, Bucky stands and grabs their plates. As soon as the table is cleared and Bucky’s nerves have settled he nods at Steve who pulls out a blindfold.

“Are you _sure_ this isn’t about our bet?” Sam asks as he eyes the fabric.

Bucky slides up beside him and kisses his cheek. “Promise. It’s something better.”

Sam takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “Alright. Go ahead.”

Steve ties the fabric, covering Sam’s eyes and instructs him to keep them closed. Both he and Bucky take one of his hands and lead him into the other room. Just before they take the blindfold off, Bucky and Steve look at each other. They both look nervous, but there’s happiness evident in their eyes – so much so that the nervousness almost cancels out.

“Okay,” Steve says as he stands behind Sam. “On the count of three open your eyes.”

_One_

_Two_

**_Three_**.

Oh – Bucky was right. Sam opens his eyes with playful amusement tugging at his features, but as soon as he actually sees what he’s looking at, all of that falls away. In its wake there is silent shock, eyes wide and full of that same kind of wonder you got when you came downstairs on Christmas morning. It’s the kind of look that makes Bucky’s heart stutter, makes him remember all the reasons he loves Sam, and exactly why he did all of this with Steve.

So that he could see Sam’s smile.

And smile he does, though it’s reserved at first as Sam walks around the room. He skims his fingers over the garland hanging around the windows, the fairy lights that accent the walls. He laughs at all of the paper snowflakes they cut out, and flashes Bucky a look when he finds the stuffed falcon with a Santa hat on top.

It’s the tree that does it though. Sam stands in front of it and looks up, then lets out a watery sigh. Before he can say anything, Steve stands beside him and holds out one more thing. The last piece that the tree needs. He looks at Sam and smiles, that little gentle thing he reserves just for him, and says, “We called Sarah and told her what we were doing. She said we’d need this.”

Sam looks down at the golden star in Steve’s hands and his breath hiccups in his throat. “The star from our old Christmas tree.”

Steve gently places it in Sam’s hands. “Put it on. It’s tradition.”

Sam swallows the lump in his throat and then looks back at Bucky, as if asking for permission. Bucky just nods at the tree and says, “It’s all you.” So, with shaky hands, Sam places the star atop the tree and then takes a step back.

“You guys did all of this –”

“For you,” Steve says.

Still fixated on the tree, no doubt looking at all the other ornaments Sarah let them have, Sam says, “ _When_?”

Bucky slides up alongside Sam and says, “We may have had ulterior motives for taking you on dates.”

“Maybe,” Steve says with a grin.

Sam closes his eyes and laughs. “Paperwork with Fury?”

“Yep,” Bucky says, popping the p. “That too.”

Sam wets his lips and looks down. “Well played.”

Bucky nudges him with his elbow and says, “There’s one more thing.”

“ _More_?” Sam says, as if anything else could possibly be done today.

Steve points at the tree, front and center, where the tiny gift wrapped present sits. “Open it.”

Sam lifts an eyebrow. “It’s not even _close_ to Christmas.”

Bucky sighs and says, “Just open it. Everyone knows you get to open one present early anyway.”

Sam looks between Bucky and Steve and then reaches out for it. His fingers falter at the last second and he says, “Are you sure?”

“ _Yes_.”

“Completely.”

So… he grabs it. His fingers delicately unwrap the gift and when he gets to the red box waiting beneath it he takes a deep breath, preparing himself. When he opens it, he laughs and a tear may or may not fall down his face. “Is this what I think it is?”

Bucky lets out a dramatic sigh and says, “ _Well_ , if you think it’s a house key, then yes.”

“And if you think it’s to that place we looked at last month, yep,” Steve finishes.

“How did you two pull all of this off?” Sam asks, wiping his eye. He plucks the key from its box and twists it in his hand, like he’s not quite sure it’s real.

Steve takes a sharp breath inward and says, “We had a lot of help.”

“Turns out everyone gets a little bit sentimental around the holidays.”

Sam’s smile widens and he gives each of them a quick, hard kiss. “ _Thank you_.”

Both Bucky and Steve give Sam a kiss in return. “Any time,” Steve says.

~

Oh, and P.S. _Bucky_ wins the bet…

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on my side blog [@zamnwilson](http://zamnwilson.tumblr.com/) or on my main [@bioloyg](http://bioloyg.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> If you enjoyed this, leave a comment. Your feedback really means the world to me and helps me fine tune my work for you guys<3


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